Guilt
by Nikkigirl
Summary: Msry finally confesses to her parents! Will they forgive her? *Finished*
1. Default Chapter

The characters are not mine!   This is my first story so if it stinks, please tell me!

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Mary quietly opened the front door of her house early Saturday morning, wincing as it creaked slightly.  She yawned as she made her way toward the stairs, wishing she didn't have to wait until 1 in the morning to smoke.  But if she went any earlier her parents would hear her going outside and would come to see what she was doing.  If they found out that she smoked, they would be furious.  They would probably send her to live with her grandparents in Buffalo again.  When she had come home a few months ago, she had managed to convince her family that she had changed.  Even Mary had believed that she was different.  But a few weeks ago she had ran into her old friends at the pool hall and they had invited her over.  Hanging out with them reminded her how much fun it was to not be good all the time.  Every night since, she had snuck outside after her parents were asleep to smoke a pack of cigarettes.  

            When Mary reached the top of the steps, she was greeted by the sound of her twin brothers crying in their room.  She didn't want them to wake her parents up, so she opened their door and stepped in.  She walked over to David's crib and picked up the sobbing toddler, whispering softly to him.  Just when he started to quiet down, Mary saw the door knob beginning to turn.  Remembering that she was still clutching her lighter, she tried to stuff it into her pants pocket before realizing that her pajamas didn't have pockets.  Just as the door opened, Mary did the only thing she could think of; she shoved the lighter under David's pillow.  Mary's mother Annie walked into the room and stopped in surprise when she saw Mary.  

"I was on my way to the bathroom when I heard the boys crying", Mary explained quickly, "I thought I would come in before they woke you up".  

            "That was very sweet of you", Annie replied, "But I'm up now and I think I can handle it.  Why don't you go back to bed?" 

            Mary hesitated, knowing that her mother might find the lighter if she left.  

            "Go on", Annie insisted.  

            "Um, Ok." Mary replied nervously, not moving from her place beside David's crib.  

            "Goodnight", her mother replied, waiting for her to leave.  

            "Oh, right", Mary reluctantly stepped out of the room and headed for the attic room that she shared with her two younger sisters.  She tried to convince herself that her mother had no reason to look under David's pillow.  _I'll just go to my room and wait until I hear mom leave, she told herself.  __Then I'll go down and get the lighter.  _

            When she got to her room, Mary lie down on her bed and closed her eyes.  

            "I know what you were doing", her sister Lucy whispered from her own bed.  "I know you were smoking.  I'm not gonna tell mom and dad, but I wish you would stop."

            "I don't know what you're talking about", Mary answered, trying to sound calm.  "I was in the bathroom."  

            "Right", Lucy replied, not sounding convinced.   Mary didn't answer.  She didn't know what to say.  Instead she rolled over, forgetting about the lighter in Sam and David's room.  Soon, both she and Lucy had fallen asleep.

            Mary was awakened several hours later by a loud ringing.  _Why doesn't someone answer the phone, she thought sleepily.  __ And why is it ringing so loud? Suddenly she felt someone shaking her hard.  _

            "Wake up, Mary!", her little sister Ruthie was screaming, "The house is on fire!"  Mary sat up quickly and saw that Ruthie was not kidding.  Thick, black smoke filled the room, making it difficult to breath.  

            "We have to get out!", Mary gasped grabbing Ruthie's hand, "We can climb out of the window in Matt and Robbie's room.  Where's Lucy?"  

            "She went to see if Simon and the twins were Ok.  She said she would find us once everyone was outside.", Ruthie answered, coughing. 

            "Ok, come on!" , Mary cried.  As she and Ruthie entered the hallway, she realized that the fire was coming from Sam and David's room.  _ Oh, God, she thought, __they must have found the lighter and somehow turned it on!  I'm responsible for the fire!  But right now Mary's main worry was getting Ruthie out of the house safely.  When she opened the door to Matt and Robbie's room, she saw that Matt was halfway out the window, and Robbie was already outside.  _

            Seeing them come in, Matt cried, "Give me Ruthie!  I'll hand her out the window to Robbie!"  

            "I can get out myself, thank you", Ruthie informed her brother, but he ignored her.  He picked her up and held her out the window for Robbie to take her to safety. 

            After Ruthie was out, Matt called to Mary, "Come on!"  She climbed out the window, and slid down the roof.  She balanced for a moment on the edge before letting herself fall the rest of the way.  She landed hard on her ankle, but she didn't think it was sprained.  After she saw Matt land next to her, they ran to the mailbox where they saw their parents standing, each holding a twin.  

            "Are you all Ok?", Annie asked anxiously, kissing each of the children.  

            "We're fine", Mary assured her, "What about you?"

            "We are all OK too", Annie replied.  "Sam and David's room was on fire, but luckily, we got to them before it reached their cribs.  Where are Lucy and Simon?"

            "I don't know", Matt answered, looking around.  "I thought they were coming out behind us"  Just then, they all saw the house begin to collapse, and Annie's face went pale.   

            "What if they are still in there?" she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. 

What do you think?  Should I continue?  Like I said, this is my first story, so if you have any suggestions, or if I am doing something wrong please tell me!  Please review!


	2. Will they make it?

Thanks for the reviews!  I double spaced it this time.  Is this easier to read? Please let me know!  J

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"Simon, where are you?" Lucy called, her voice hoarse from yelling and breathing in smoke.  She finally reached his room and opened the door.  As soon as she stepped in, she doubled over, coughing.  It was even smokier in Simon's room than in the hallway.  She looked around and realized that most of the smoke was coming from under the door that led to the twin's room.  "Simon!" she called.  

            "Lucy?" he finally answered.  

            "Yeah, it's me", she replied, locating him through the smoke. "Are you OK?"

            "I'm Ok, are you?"

            "Yes, but what about the twins?"

            "They aren't in their room.  Mom and Dad must have already taken them."

            "Ok, we need to get out", she said, grabbing his hand.

            "No kidding", he replied sarcastically.

            "Simon, now is not the time", she told him seriously.   

            "Sorry"

            "Ok, so I think we can make it out through your window if-", Lucy stopped suddenly as the walls around them began to cave in.  "Get down!" , she ordered Simon.  "Cover your head!"  He obeyed, too terrified to do anything else.  Lucy saw a shelf from the wall falling out of the corner of her eye and before she had a chance to react, it had hit her.  She tried to stay awake, but everything was fading.  Finally, it all turned to black.

            After what seemed like hours, Mary heard the siren of a fire truck coming toward them.  The truck parked in the driveway, and a tall man in a jacket approached her father.  "Anyone still in the house, Sir?" he asked.

            "Yes" the Reverend replied anxiously.  "My daughter and son.  Their names are Lucy and Simon and they are 19 and 15 years old.  Please find them!"  

            "We'll try our best" the man said reassuringly, as he ran toward the house.

            Mary and her family waited, silent except for the occasional sob from her mother. Even the twins were not crying and for once, Ruthie was quiet.  About ten minutes later, they saw a fireman pulling something from the house.  A women ran over to the family, looking serious.  "We found your son" she told them.

            "Oh, thank you!" Annie sobbed.  "Is he Ok?  And what about Lucy?"

            "Well we are taking your son to the hospital.  He is unconscious, but we don't know what other injuries he has suffered.  As for you daughter, I hate to tell you, but we are starting to lose hope that she will be found alive.  She has been in the burning house for a half hour now."  The women looked sincerely sorry.  "I can honestly tell you that everything is being done to find her" she told Annie gently.  

            "No, no, she can't die!"  Annie sobbed, beginning sound slightly hysterical.

            "Ma'm, I think you need a break.  Come to the hospital with your son. You can get a cold drink there and maybe calm down a little"

            Mary finally turned her attention to the rest of the family to see how they were taking the news. Ruthie was crying loudly, and Robbie was trying to comfort her.  Matt was also crying, but trying not to show it.  Her father had his arm around her mother and held her as she sobbed.  _Sure they are all upset, but none of them caused the fire, Mary thought, __none of them are feeling the guilt I am feeling.  How can I ever live with myself if Lucy dies?_

Do you still like it?  Should I keep going?  Please review!  J


	3. The Hospital

            About five minutes later, Annie had calmed down a bit.  She turned to speak to her family, her face red and tearstained.  "I am going to take the twins to the hospital with me.  They don't need to be out here seeing this.  If any of you want to come with me you are welcome to.  If you are staying, call me on my cell phone the second you hear anything."  

            "I'll stay" Matt immediately answered.

            "Me too" Ruthie and Robbie said together.

            "I'll go"  Mary volunteered.  "You know, to watch the twins" she added when she realized that everyone was giving her a strange look.  The truth was, that she could no longer stand to watch the house she had grown up in burn to the ground, especially knowing that it was her fault.  

            "Ok" Annie said, picking up David from where he sat on the grass. "Let's go".  With one last hug and kiss from her husband, she headed toward the car.  Mary picked Sam up and followed her, mumbling a quick goodbye to her family.

            The car ride was silent except for the slow, even breathing of Sam and David after they had fallen asleep.  Mary was too ashamed and guilty to look at her mother, knowing that she was responsible for all of the pain she was feeling.  _Please, God Mary prayed silently. __If Lucy and Simon survive, I will __never, ever make a mistake like this again._

            When they arrived at the hospital, they each quickly grabbed a twin and headed toward the ER.  They were greeted there by a young nurse with a handful of papers for Annie to sign.  The nurse, whose name tag read Cindy picked up the twins, promising Annie that she would find a place for them to sleep comfortably. Mary sunk into a hard, plastic chair in the waiting room and tried to occupy herself with the year old golf magazine she found on the table.  She began flipping through the pages, but all she could concentrate on was the horrible guilt she was feeling.  To her embarrassment, she felt her eyes filling up with tears.  Her mother noticed and set down the papers she was reading.

            "Honey" she began, putting her arm around Mary.  "I'm sure they are both fine.  They're smart; they know how to protect themselves."  Mary couldn't make herself confess, even though a part of her wanted to, so she buried her head in her mother's shoulder and began to sob.  Annie held Mary as she cried, talking softly to her.  Mary wondered if her mother would still hold her and keep her safe when she knew what she had done.

            About twenty minutes later, Annie's cell phone rang, the sudden loud noise almost giving Mary a heart attack.  "Hello?" Annie answered nervously. "Uh huh…uh huh…OK …all right" she said into the phone.  Mary tried desperately to figure out what was going on. _Please, please let her be alright! She thought. "Thank God" Annie finally said, tears streaming down her face.  "Ok, we are in the ER waiting room…No, we don't know yet…Ok see you…I love you too." _

            "So?" Mary asked the second her mother hung up.

            "They found her.  She is still alive, but is unconscious and having trouble breathing. They are bringing her in right now."

            "She's alive?" Mary asked, relief spreading through her.

            "For now" her mother answered quietly.

            Just then, a doctor dressed in scrubs came through a door and stood in front of Mrs. Camden.  "We are finished examining your son, Ma'm.  He was hit in the head and has a concussion and also a broken leg.  He suffered minor smoke inhalation and a few burns but he should be fine."

            "Thank you" Annie gasped, her eyes filling with tears. "When can we see him?  When can he come home?"

            "You can see him now, but we gave him some pain medication and he will be asleep for a few hours.  Because he had a head injury, we want to keep him for about two days."   _He's Ok!  And they found Lucy! But what if she is dead?  And it's my fault?  I have to tell mom now, before I go crazy!_

            But before Mary could say anything, another door opened and Rev. Camden, Matt, Robbie, and Ruthie entered the room.  After exchanging hugs, the doctor repeated what he had just told Annie and Mary.  Rev. Camden told them that Lucy was being examined now.  

            "Why don't we go see Simon now?" Annie suggested.  "We can only go two at a time, so Mary and I will go while the rest of you get a drink and rest a bit.  Are you ready, Mary?"

            "Um, sure Mom" Mary answered reluctantly.  She didn't want to see what other damage her stupid mistake had caused.

            She stepped into the room, squinting in the bright, florescent lights.  When she could see again, she looked toward the bed in the middle of the room where Simon lay.  His leg was in a large white cast, and his left arm was also bandaged.  There was an IV in his hand, and a dark purple bruise on his forehead.  _Oh no!  I did this!  It's my fault!  Mary's mother must have sensed her panic because she walked over and squeezed her hand.  "He's Ok, Honey.  You heard the doctor; he'll go home in a few days."  __You don't understand! Mary wanted to scream.  __This is my fault!  My brother is laying here unconscious and my sister may be dying because of me!  She couldn't deal with her mother's sympathy for another second.  If she knew what Mary had done, she would be furious with her, not concerned for her.  Without a word Mary turned and fled the room._

            By the time Mary arrived back in the waiting room, another doctor was there.  Annie came up behind Mary and asked "Is Lucy OK?"  

            The doctor took a deep breath before answering.  "She has a broken arm and several 2nd degree burns on her right side.  She suffered major smoke inhalation, so she is hooked up to an oxygen mask.  At the moment she is not breathing well on her own.  She was also hit pretty hard on her head.  She's in a coma"  

            "What's a coma?" Ruthie spoke up timidly.  Until she said something, Mary had almost forgotten that she was in the room.

            "A coma is the body's way of protecting the brain when it suffers a major injury.  She could wake up tomorrow."  The doctor said gently.

            Robbie suddenly began talking, "I saw a TV show where this guy was in a coma for his whole life and-" He was silenced by a glare from Annie that said, "Stop, you'll scare Ruthie."  It was too late though, Ruthie had already turned white.

            "What I meant was I saw this science fiction movie one time where that happened but of course it wasn't real." Robbie babbled, trying get rid of the terrified look on Ruthie's face.  

            "OK" Rev. Camden announced, "Matt, I want you to drive Robbie, Mary, Ruthie, and the twins to your Aunt Julie's house where you can go to sleep for awhile.  It's 6 in the morning and you have been up for hours.  Your mother and I will stay here.  You can come back after you wake up."

            "Ok" Matt answered immediately, recognizing the mood his father was in and knowing not to argue.  Unfortunately Ruthie was too scared and tired to see what kind of mood Reverend Camden was in and began to whine.  

            "I don't wa-na! I wa-na stay he-re!"  Even though she usually sounded older than 11, right now she sounded like she was 3.  Matt grabbed her hand and talked to her softly before their father could get angry and she was quiet.  Mary was too tired and shocked and guilt stricken to argue and she numbly followed her siblings and Robbie toward the car.  Annie came with them, holding the twins, but after kissing everyone goodbye, she headed back toward the hospital.

Do you still like the story?  Any suggestion?  Please review! Thanks!


	4. She's awake!

Mary awoke later that day to the sound of squealing.  She had forgotten how well Sam and David got along with their cousin Erika.  Although she was slightly annoyed to have been woken up, she was glad to hear that the twins were not upset by what had happened that morning.  Squinting at the clock she saw that it was 6 pm.  _Wow I was really tired! She thought.  __I guess guilt can do that to you.  Stumbling out of the spare bed she had been given earlier by her aunt and uncle, she headed downstairs.  Matt, Robbie, and Ruthie were sitting silently around the kitchen table.  "Hurry up and eat" Matt said, his voice cold.  "We're going to the hospital in ten minutes" __Why does he sound so angry? Mary thought, panicking.  __Does he know what I did?  How could he? Finally she got a hold of herself and thought logically. __ Calm down.  He's tired, he's scared, he's stressed.  We all are.  No wonder his voice sounds weird._

_            "I'm not hungry" she replied.  "Let's go now."_

            "Ok"  Matt replied.  "Aunt Julie and Uncle Hank said they'd watch Sam and David"  He stood up and headed toward the door, followed by Mary, Ruthie, and Robbie.  When they reached the car, Mary climbed into the back seat, next to Ruthie.  She spent the whole ride praying that Lucy would be all right.

            When the group arrived at the hospital, they headed immediately to the floor that Lucy and Simon were on.  Mary spotted her parents sipping coffee and looking exhausted.  It scared Mary to see her parents looking so old and helpless.  "How are they?"  She asked the second she reached them.  

            "Simon woke up this afternoon.  He should be released tomorrow.  He's a little confused because of the medicine and being hit on the head, but you can see him.  Lucy is about the same.  The doctors tried taking off the oxygen mask, but her lungs are too damaged from the smoke for her to breath on her own.  They did say that they should get better though.  She should be breathing by herself in a few days."

            "What about her coma?  Will she wake up soon?"  Ruthie asked the question that was on everyone's mind.  

            "I just don't know"  Annie replied, tears filling her eyes.

            "Um, Ok let's go see Simon" Matt said cheerfully, trying to change the subject.  Everyone agreed and Mary led them to his room.  He looked better than he had in the morning, mainly because he was awake now.  Mary was glad to se that the IV had been removed from his hand.

            "Hi, guys" he greeted them, sitting up in bed.

            "Hi" they all chorused.  "How are you doing?" Robbie asked.

            "I'm OK" he answered.  "My leg and my arm hurt.  And my head too, but not too bad.  At least I get to go home to tomorrow"

            "Do you remember anything about this morning?"  Mary asked, praying he hadn't seen the lighter in the twin's room.  It was possible that he had since his room was connected to theirs by only a door.

            "No, I remember going to bed last night and then waking up here.  I can't remember anything about the fire.  It's really frustrating."

            Suddenly Mary remembered something that she had been trying to forget.  Last night, when Mary got back to her room, Lucy had said she knew that Mary smoked.  So if she ever woke up, she would figure out that Mary had caused the fire, and then tell their parents!  _No! If she wakes up, Mom and Dad will hate me, but if she doesn't, will I ever be able to live with the guilt? Realizing the situation she was in, Mary began to breathe quickly and she felt light headed.  Her siblings continued to talk as if nothing was wrong.  Mary turned and ran from the room and into the nearest bathroom.  She sat down on the closed toilet and began to cry._

            A few days later, Mary lay in the bed at her aunt's house crying.  Lucy was still in a coma, and Mary was about to collapse from guilt.  Mary had hardly slept all week and she had dark circles under her eyes, which were red from crying so often.  Her family was beginning to notice that she wasn't herself, but assumed she was just worried about Lucy.  Simon had been released from the hospital the day before and was fine except for the cast on his leg and bandages on his arm.  Lucy was still the same.  

            Sometime around 5 am Mary finally drifted off to sleep.  When she awoke at 10 the next morning, she was told by her Uncle that the hospital had called and her entire family had rushed over.  They hadn't wanted to wake her, since she had seemed so tired lately. He offered her his car to drive to the hospital and join them.  Mary thanked him and flew out of the house.  The ride to the hospital seemed to take hours.  One minute she thought in a panic, _She__ died!  The next minute she tried to calm herself down, thinking, __she woke up!_

_            When she finally arrived,  she ran to the 2nd floor, where Lucy was and spotted her family.  "What happened?" she gasped.  Her family acted as if she hadn't said a word.  They were talking loudly about something._

            "Honey!"  Annie cried, noticing Mary. "Lucy woke up!  She's going be Ok!"  Mary's first thought was "Oh no now she'll tell on me"  and then she felt even more guilty, if that was possible.  How could she think that when she was told that her seriously injured sister would live?  

            "That's great!"  Mary managed to say even though her heart was pounding.  "Have you um, gotten a chance to talk to her yet?" she asked, trying to sound calm.

            "Yes we went in.  Would you like to speak with her?"  _OK Mary thought __they aren't screaming at me, so she must have kept her mouth shut.  For now.  _

_            "Sure, I'll go, but can I have a little time by myself?  I um, need to discuss something with her."_

            "Sure" her mother answered "But don't talk about anything bad.  We need to keep her thinking positive" 

            Mary took a deep breath and headed to Lucy's room.  She opened the door and gasped when she saw her sister.  Lucy lay in bed, looking pale and tired.  Her head and arm were bandaged and a tube came from her mouth.  An IV was stuck in her hand, and with her eyes closed she almost looked dead.  "Hey" Mary greeted her.

            "Hi" Lucy whispered her voice hoarse.  "Sorry about my voice, it's from the tubes. I still need a little help breathing."

            "Ok, listen" Mary said, deciding to come right out with it.  "Do you remember what happened the night before the fire?"

            "Yes" Lucy said, looking confused "You were smoking"

            "You're still not going to tell mom or dad?

            "No."

            "But I might have caused the fire!"

            "I know.  But I said I wouldn't tell and I'm not going to.  It's up to you to decide if you tell or not.  Anyway, if you did cause it, they will find out anyway.  The firefighters are investigating and they will find out what started it."

            _Oh no Mary thought __I totally forgot about that.  Mom and Dad will find out and they'll send me away to __Buffalo__ and never want to see me again!  To Lucy she said, "I gotta go talk to mom and dad"_

            "I hope you're gonna tell them what you did!"  Lucy called after her weakly.

            Mary ran up to her parents and asked breathlessly, "Do you know what caused the fire yet?"  

            Annie turned to her, looking upset.  "It's funny you should ask that" she said, in a strange voice.  "We just got a call from the fire department and they have found something out." 

            Mary's heart began to pound in fear.  _They know, they know!  Mom looks so upset. It's because she knows her daughter almost killed her whole family.  And now she wants to kill me! I'm not ready for this!_

_            Annie spoke again.  "It seems that the fire was caused by…"_

That's it for now!  Please, please, please review!   J  Thanks!


	5. The Confession

Two weeks later, Lucy was released from the hospital.  Mary volunteered to stay with Sam and David while the rest of the family went to pick her up.  Mary still hadn't told anyone what she had done.  She hoped she would never have to.  Things were almost back to normal.  The family had moved into a small rented house as they waited to have theirs rebuilt.  The church was paying for the entire project.    Lucy was doing a lot better.  She was now able to breath on her own and aside from her burns, broken arm, and being a little sore, she was back to normal.

            Suddenly there was the sound of the door opening and loud voices.  Lucy was home.  Mary stayed in her room for several minutes until she heard Lucy ask, "Where's Mary?  I need to talk to her."

            Mary headed downstairs and greeted Lucy with a hug.  "Let's talk in private" she suggested.  Once they were settled in the dinning room each with a glass of juice, Lucy began to talk.

            "Mary, you have to tell them what you did.  They won't be as mad since you didn't cause the fire and they'll appreciate you being honest. Besides, you learned from your mistake, right?  You haven't smoked since?"

            "No, I haven't. But it will be so hard!"

            "I know, but I'm here for support.  I'll be right here for you to come back to after you tell them.  I know you didn't mean it and that you're sorry."

            "Ok" Mary said bravely.  "I will"

            She walked into the kitchen where her parents were and sat down at the table with them. "Mom, Dad, we need to talk."

            "Is everything OK, honey?" her mother asked.

            "You can tell us anything" her father added.

            "I" Mary began "I…I…"  Then she burst into tears.

            "Mary what's wrong?" Annie asked, hugging her daughter.

            "I-I was s-smoking and the n-night of the fire I-I l-left my lighter under D-David's pillow because I was a-afraid I'd get caught w-with it and I thought that was w-what started the f-fire!"  Mary sobbed loudly.

            "What?" Annie gasped, pulling away.  "What did you do?!"

            "I was smoking.  I'm sorry."  

            "You better be!  This is inexcusable! And we thought you were doing so much better!  How could you do this?"

            Reverend Camden took his wife's hand in an attempt to calm her down. "Honey, Mary has obviously learned her lesson.  I think the guilt she was feeling was enough punishment."

            "No it wasn't! She was smoking!  She put the lives of our family in danger by leaving her lighter in the twin's room!  Mary, you are grounded until further notice."

            "Ok" Mary whispered, then fled the room.  _I knew it! She thought __I knew they would never forgive me!  Now I'll be sent back to __Buffalo__!_

_            Mary hardly slept that night.  She kept having horrible nightmares and she could hear the voices of her parents arguing about her.  Lucy had come in and hugged her, trying to convince her that their mother would calm down.  It hadn't worked.  She awoke early the next morning to find her parents sipping coffee at the kitchen table.  They looked as if they hadn't slept either.  _

            "Mary"  her mother said  "We have decided on your punishment.  We bought the tickets.  Obviously you didn't learn enough the last time.  You are leaving for Buffalo tomorrow."

                                                            The end!

                                                Did you like the ending?  Should there be a sequel?  Pleases please review!!!!!!!!!!


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